Well, the potentially worst day of this week is over, so here we go. 2 reviews for this one.
March 1st
Daniel Johnston - Don't Be Scared
I'll skip the biography and get right to it.
I think that this album may be either on the same level as Songs of Pain, or maybe a bit lower, in terms of quality. There are certainly more songs on here that are more-or-less just him fucking around, and some of those little experiments get a bit hard to sit through. However, this does not detract from Johnston's ability as a songwriter.
On the surface, this is an album of lo-fi piano rock. However, like the other things I've heard from him, under the surface, it offers another glimpse into his life and emotional state at the time. Little recordings in between songs, like his mother callling him an "unprofitable servant", can be rather heartbreaking, especially considering his mental state (though I'm not at all blaming his parents, don't get me wrong.)
The simple tone of the lyrics still suggest something innocent and child-like, maybe even a bit naive. There are still a lot of songs about love, mostly of the unrequited kind. But there are also plenty of songs that deal with many other topics, and Johnston flexes his writing muscles with these.
Songs like "The Story of an Artist" are the most hard-hitting on here, since they offer more of a look into his life. I only have a few gripes about this album, and honestly, they mostly just have to do with the song "Stars on Parade", which is more or less him yelping out bits and pieces of previous songs. It can be a bit annoying, and just feels a bit pointless.
Otherwise, this is a great album. Not quite as good as Songs of Pain, but still well worth the listen. 8.0/10.